The FY20 special project for the PETF focused on public education and awareness of litter and floatables in stormwater . This special project had a two-part approach , one on a regional community cleanup challenge , which was postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19 , and one on public education messaging via social media and the creation of toolkits , otherwise referred to as the “ Plastic Pollution Educational Toolkit ”. Additional details on the regional community cleanup challenge can be found in the “ Other ” section of this report under item 2 - North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge . The “ Plastic Pollution Educational Toolkits ” focused on a different type of litter each month ( such as balloons , straws , to-go containers ) and were created monthly for the period of February 2020 to September 2020 . All FY20 “ Plastic Pollution Educational Toolkit ” templates and associated visual files can be accessed at https :// www . nctcog . org / envir / watershed-management / stormwater / public-education-task-force under the “ Outreach Materials and Resources ” heading .
2 . Stormwater Educator ’ s Toolbox
The educator ’ s toolbox was initially developed by the PETF as a FY2013 project . In April 2015 , a complementary Educator ’ s Toolbox webpage was created ( www . nctcog . org / envir / SEEclean / stormwater / program-areas / public _ education / toolbox . asp ), compiling a list of helpful links for environmental educators related to stormwater issues .
The main focus of the FY17 work program was to update and overhaul the educator ’ s toolbox . The toolbox currently has about 61 resources , 1 of which were new additions during this report time period . It is meant to be a living , expanding set of resources ; organizations or individuals are encouraged to make suggestions about resources that might be helpful to stormwater educators . Suggestions may be sent to : cguzman @ nctcog . org . A couple of key resources of PETF origin are detailed in items 3 and 4 below .
3 . Educational Videos by NCTCOG
“ Freddy the Fish Teaches About Stormwater ” ( 4 min . 28 sec .), is geared toward elementary school-age kids . The video aims to make children aware that their actions , and those of their friends and parents , can affect water quality . This complements the “ Freddy the Fish ” lessons presented by some city educators . This video was released in December 2014 .
“ Stormwater to Drinking Water ” ( 6 min . 8 sec .), is geared toward high-school students with a similar goal as the first . ( It could also be used as an introduction to stormwater education for municipal employees .) This video was released in January 2015 .
“ Stormwater Pollution Prevention – Litter ” ( 1 min . 54 sec .) is geared towards middle-school students to adults . The video explains how easily litter can be picked up and carried to watersheds through the wind , rain and stormwater . The video goes on to explain why this is harmful for the environment and actions that residents can take to help reduce litter and floatables from winding up in our waterways . This video was released in April 2020 .
“ Stormwater Pollution Prevention – Lawn Care ” ( 2 min . 7 sec .) is geared towards property and / or homeowners . In this video the connection between traditional lawn care practices , such as the use of pesticides and fertilizers , and their impacts on the quality of stormwater , watersheds and the environment is explained . The video also highlights best practices as well as practices to avoid such as sweeping leaves and grass clippings into the street and / or stormdrain . This video was released in April 2020 .
“ Proper Pool Draining in North Texas ” ( 2 min . 18 sec .) is geared towards property and / or homeowners . This video highlights common do ’ s and don ’ ts across different municipalities when it comes to properly draining a pool in North Texas . This video was released in June 2020 .
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